Disgraced
by Kristie V
Summary: Caroline Spencer loses everything and is forced to deal with the fallout, but when she gets an offer she can't refuse, is it her chance for a comeback or is she in more trouble then she realized?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

She stared at him in total and complete fear. His blue eyes were ice cold. His demeanor stiff. His glare menencing beyond belief. It was like she was staring into the face of a killer before he does the deed.

For Caroline Spencer, this wasn't what she had been hoping for when she got called into her ex-boyfriend Rick Forrester's office for a meeting. She thought that they were going to discuss the new line that she had designed that had been a recent success for Forrester Creations, but when Caroline saw Rick's parents, Eric and Brooke, and Brooke's husband Ridge in the office as well, she knew something was about to go down.

Something bad, and it involved her.

"Do you care to explain yourself?" asked Rick coldly. "What do you mean?" asked a trembling Caroline. "Don't play dumb with me," he growled as he looked right into her brown eyes. "I'm serious, Rick. I don't know what you mean," she said her voice shaky. "Oh I think you do. Why do you think TMZ reported it ont heir website just over an hour ago?" asked Rick who then went to his desk and turned his computer moniter around. What Caroline saw horrified her.

The story was about Rafael Martinez, the creator and producer of the now-cancelled show "Room 8". In the article, he talked about how Caroline was determined to get Rick back so he let her do what she wanted to his show from casting Rick's now fiancee Maya Avant and Forrester Creations lawyer Carter Walton in the lead roles to editing the scripts. Rafael basically called Caroline "a controlling bitch" who ruined not only his show but also his career.

This was news that the Forrester family and the people at one of the fashion world's most famous companies did not want to have happen. They had dealt with enough scandel to last a lifetime.

Still Rick knew what he wanted to do. What he had to do as president of Forrester Creations.

He said the words no person, not even Caroline, wanted to hear.

"You're fired. Get the hell out of here," he said coldly. Caroline just stood there with her mouth wide open. She couldn't believe it.

"No," she whispered as tears began to go down her face. "You heard what my son said, Caroline. Get out," said Brooke. Caroline found herself looking at both Eric and Ridge, but both had their heads down.

As she slowly walked out of Rick's office, Caroline could feel her legs get shakier with each step. As soon as she was out and far enough away for no one to hear her, she collapsed on the floor in tears.

For Caroline, her dream was over. She was damaged goods. Disgraced beyond anything. She had no idea what to do, and without Rick in her life, she had no one to turn to.

Her life was over.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

As she drove home to her new penthouse at The Rooselvelt in downtown Los Angeles, Caroline was still in shock over being fired. As tears continued to stream down her face, she began reflecting on everything.

Everything had been great. She and Rick were happy & in love. She was successful. Caroline had become the toast of the fashion industry. Several fashion blogs even declared her fashion's next great designer.

Then Maya Avant entered the picture, and everything changed.

Caroline began to feel like her life was spiraling out of control. Sure, her career was still going well, but she began noticing that Rick was losing interest in her. He was hanging out at Dayzee's Coffee House to be with Maya. Caroline noticed the distance growing between them and tried everything to keep her & Rick together.

Nothing worked. Not even talking with her uncle, publishing magnate Bill Spencer, seemed to work. Everything she did got her into trouble. Tehn when Rick broke up with her, Caroline was heartbroken. To her, getting Maya out of the way seemed more important then anything.

That plan ended up blowing up in her face.

Despite her best efforts, Caroline's attempts to get Maya to hook up with Carter Walton via the show "Room 8" failed. Maya's love for Rick and commitment to him was very strong, and even Caroline had to admit that maybe she was in over her head. Still, having Rick back in her life clouded her better judgement and she went ahead.

Now all her attempts to get him back had not only scandelized her in the press but also cost her dream job. Caroline had never felt so defeated in her life.

After parking her car and getting inside the building, Caroline pulled her phone out to see if she got any messages. She found only two. One form her mother Karen and another from her cousin Liam. She listened to Liam's first.

"Hi, Caroline. It's me. I'm at your front door because I need someone to talk to. Call me when you get this. Bye."

Caroline became concerned. "What's happened to him?" she thought as the elevator made its way to her two-bedroom penthouse. She quickly dialed his number. He quickly answered.

"Liam?" she asked. "Caroline?" he asked. "Are you still at my front door?" she asked. "Yeah I am," he said. "OK, I'm almost there," she said. "Thank you," he said & then hung up.

When the elevator doors opened, Caroline raced down the hallway and found Liam sitting by her front door. He quickly stood up when he saw her and embraced her.

"You OK?" she asked. "No," he said. "Why? What happened? Is it Hope?" she asked. Liam's answer surprised her.

"It's Hope. She & Wyatt ran off and got married."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Caroline stood there in complete shock. She could also feel her heart breaking for her cousin.

Sure, she knew that Liam & his fiancee Hope Logan had been having some problems, but Caroline didn't think much of it due her being focused on the new CS for Forrester collection that had proven to be a huge success for Forrester Creations. She just sincerely hoped that Liam & Hope would get married without any interference from his ex-wife Steffy Forrester, who was now dating lawyer Carter Walton.

Caroline now realized how wrong she was to get her hopes up over those two.

Seeing Liam's face red with anger over Hope leaving him for his half-brother Wyatt Fuller made Caroline feel even more terrible. Sure , she had just lost her job, but hearing Liam tell her that Hope left him & married Wyatt was beyond anything she had expected in what had already a very bad day for her.

"Liam, I'm so sorry," Caroline said sadly. "You don't have to apologize, Caroline. It's not your fault," said Liam. "I'm still sorry anyway. I just feel horrible for you," she said. Liam give her a small smile, & the two embraced.

"Want to come in? I'll cook us dinner if you haven't eaten yet," said Caroline. "That would great, Caroline, thank you," said Liam with a bit of grin. "I haven't eaten since this afternoon when I had lunch with my father." Caroline smiled as she grabbed her keys out of her purse & unlocked the door to her penthouse.

Liam looked around in awe. He had never been to his cousin's penthouse before, & he was very impressed. It had loads of space, & Caroline had furnished it nicely. It was comfortable but not over the top.

Caroline, who was in the kichen getting dinner started, noticed him staring. Seeing him distracted by something other then thoughts of Hope made her smile. She then got back to her cooking.

Caroline whipped up one of her favorite dishes, spaghetti bolognese, for dinner. As she made her way into the living room to check on Liam, she noticed that he had turned on ESPN on her new TV. She smiled & went back to the kitchen to finish up cooking dinner.

While that was going on, Liam decided to see what else was on TV so he grabbed the remote & started channel surfing. He found that E! News was on so he clicked onto it.

What he saw horrified him.

It was a picture of Hope & Wyatt.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Caroline was finishing up dinner when she heard Liam yell out, "Son of a bitch!" She quickly ran out & found herself shocked by what she saw.

Liam had turned on E! News, and it mentioned Wyatt & Hope's marriage. Along with her cousin, Caroline stood there in shock watching as host Giuliana Rancic talked about the wedding details ranging from Hope's beautiful dress to the Neil Lane wedding rings that were exchanged.

What upset Caroline the most was hearing that Rick was there & had given his sister away. Seeing the picture of him & Maya posing with Wyatt & Hope made her feel sick to her stomach. She could also feel Liam's heart breaking.

She knew that this wasn't what he wanted. A couple of months ago, he was going to Tacori to buy Hope a wedding ring. Now Liam was alone, & Hope was now his sister-in-law.

While she felt horrible for him, Caroline couldn't help but feel that maybe this was karma biting Liam in the butt for constantly dumping Hope in favor of Steffy. Deep down, Caroline felt that Liam was getting what he deserved. She hated herself for thinking like that, but she couldn't help it.

As she walked back finish serving up dinner, Caroline found herself getting angry over Liam & Steffy.

Caroline had never liked them together. She always felt that it was a one-sided relationship, fueled more by Steffy's desire to beat Hope at anything including love. Caroline always made sure to steer clear of Steffy because everytime she saw the brunette beauty, she wanted to beat the living crap out of her.

Simply put, Caroline always believed that Steffy was simply the wrong woman for her cousin. Now here he was, upset over losing someone he had loved ever since he had met her. As she made her way into the living room with the bowls of pasta, Caroline's sadness over Liam losing Hope became even more so.

"Here you go," she said handing him a bowl & fork. "Thanks," he said with a sad smile. Both then dug into their food.

"Was your day as sucky as mine?" asked Liam. "Probably. Then again you still have your job, right?" asked Caroline. "Yeah I do. Did you lose yours?" asked Liam. "Yeah I did. I guess I deserved it after everything I did to rip Rick and Maya apart," said Caroline. Liam just sighed.

"All right, Liam. Go ahead. Say it," said Caroline. "Say what?" asked Liam. "Say that I was crazy. Say that I was obsessed with Rick," said Caroline. "You were. On all counts," said Liam. "Thank you. I needed to hear that," said Caroline.

As they continued to eat, something was going on across town. Something important.

Something involving an old Forrester enemy.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

For the next three days, Caroline was busy. When she wasn't dodging papaprazzi, she was pounding the pavement, looking for another job. She handed in her resume at various fashion houses all over Los Angeles ranging from Gucci to Escada, but no one called her. That made Caroline upset.

She also realized something, which upset her even further.

She was nothing more then damaged goods. No one wanted anything to do with her. That hurt Caroline even more.

That, however, didn't stop one person from giving her a call.

That person was Nick Marone.

He had recently relaunched the fashion company he & his mother Jackie had started called Jackie M Designs. Their first major hire was none other then his nephew Thomas Forrester, who had quit Forrester Creations after fighting with both his father Ridge & Rick over various issues.

The hire proved to be a good one. Taboo, the clothing line Thomas had started at Forrester, was a huge success. Now Nick wanted a female designer who would have the same impact.

When his assistant Stacey handed him a bunch of resumes to look over, Nick at first wasn't interested. When he saw Caroline's, he got an idea, but first he had to call her & offer her the job.

So Nick dialed Caroline's home phone number & waited. Liam was the one who answered.

"Hello?" he asked. "I'm sorry, but is Caroline Spencer there?" asked Nick. "She's on her way home from her mother's house. May I ask who's calling?" asked Liam. "Nick Marone, president of Jackie M Designs," said Nick. "I will tell her you called, Mr. Marone," said Liam. "Thank you," said Nick who, after giving Liam the company phone number, hung up. Now the waiting for Caroline to call back began.

Meanwhile, Caroline was driving home from her mother Karen's house. She had to admit that it felt great being around family. Being around Karen, her longtime partner Danielle, and Danielle's son Austin always put Caroline's mind at ease. Despite all the crappy things she did to Rick, her family still loved her & didn't judge her the way the Forresters had.

Now as she entered her penthouse, Liam greeted her with a hug & told her about Nick Marone's phone call. Caroline was curious.

"You think he wants to offer me a job?" asked Caroline. "I don't know, but if I were you, I would call him & find out," said Liam who then handed her the piece of paper with the phone number to Jackie M Designs. Caroline took it & called right away. Nick picked up.

"Mr. Marone?" she asked. "This is him. Is this Caroline Spencer?" he asked. "Yes, sir, it is. May I ask why you called?" she asked. "I would like to offer you a job," he said. Caroline felt herself freeze when he said those words.

"Are...are...are you serious? I mean, would you at least like me to come in for a job interview or something?" she asked nervously. "Well, if that's how you want to do it. Why don't you come to my office for an interview tomorrow morning? How does that sound?" asked Nick who was eager. Caroline could feel the excitement going through her veins.

"I would love to. Thank you," she said excitedly. "See you tomorrow then, Miss Spencer," he said & then hung up. Caroline was so excited.

Liam, on the other hand, wasn't as excited.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked. "Well...yeah I do. Why do you ask, Liam?" asked Caroline. "Just a feeling, I guess," he said. "A bad one?" she asked. "You got it, but I won't stop you," said Liam with a bit of a smile. After that, the cousins began putting away the stuff Karen had given them.

As they got everything put away, Caroline couldn't help but feel that maybe she should be careful.

Very, very careful.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

The following morning, Caroline got up bright & early & made herself a quick breakfast of cinnamon oatmeal & coffee. As she ate, she could feel her excitement growing.

Today was the day of her job interview with Nick Marone of Jackie M Designs. She was hoping to make such a great first impression.

Sure Caroline remembered Rick telling her about Nick. She remembered the disdain in his voice as he talked about the man he hated for breaking his sister Bridget's heart as well as using Brooke to stick it to Ridge. Caroline remembered the sympathy she felt for Rick having to go through all of that.

Caroline also remembered the tabloid stories she had read in Star Magazine about Nick & his romance with former model Aggie Jones. From looking at the pictures, Caroline remembered feeling envious of Aggie because Nick was a very sexy man.

After she finished breakfast, she made her way to her BMW & managed to get out her building's parking gargage without running over any photographers who happened to be there snapping pictures of her. Caroline breathed a sigh of relief on that one.

As she made her to the Jackie M offices located in Pacific Palisades, Caroline could feel her nerves coming back, adn her interview with Nick wasn't the only reason.

Caroline knew that her ex Thomas Forrester was working there now & was now very successful, thanks to his line Taboo. She began wondering if they would be working together on something special. Then her thoughts turned to their relationship.

Yes, it hadn't ended well, & Caroline partly blamed herself for it. She knew that Thomas had wanted to be president of Forrester Creations because he felt that he had the ideas and the ability to take the company into the 21st century yet he had faced extreme resistance from both his father and Eric, who felt that Thomas was too impulsive & not ready enough for the responsibilities that came with running a successful fashion house like Forrester.

Caroline had tried to be supportive of him, but she felt that he was pushing her away. The day he & Rick got into that fight had been the turning point for her. She had had enough & had made the decision to break it off without wanting an explanation from Thomas.

Now, as she approached the massive cliff-side estate where Jackie M was located, Caroline felt her nerves increase even more. What if she saw Thomas? What if he saw her? Would he want to talk to her or would he ignore like he did at Forrester after they had broken up? She had no idea what to think.

After finding a parking spot, Caroline walked in & made her way to Nick Marone's office. His secretary Penny greeted her with a smile & got on the phone to let Nick know that Caroline had arrived. Caroline then took a seat & placed her briefcase & purse down. She could feel herself shaking as she waited.

This was it. It was now or never. Either Caroline had a new job or she was back to square one. That part scared her.

Really, really scared her.


End file.
